638 



ENGLAND. 



Doi^er. 



England from the continent. I 

 acquires importance from the his 

 torical recollections connected will; 

 it, and from its extensive military 

 works, among which is the castle, 

 built upon a lofty cliff, rising 320 

 feet above the sea. Population, 

 12,000. To the north, between 

 the coast of Kent and the sandbank 

 called Goodioin Sands, is the cele- 

 brated road caller! the Doums, which 

 affords safe anchorage for ships, and 

 is a rendezvous for the British fleet 

 in time of war. 



On the channel stands Bright- 

 hclm.stone, or Brighton, a famous 

 bathing-place, remarkable for the 

 elegance, richness, and variety of 

 its architecture. Population, 42,000. 



Portsmouth is the chief naval station in Great 

 Britain, and one of the strongest fortified 

 places in Europe. The harbor is the first in 

 the kingdom for depth, capaciousness, and se- 

 curity, being deep enough for the largest ships, 

 and of extent sufficient to contain t!ie whole 

 navy of England. The famous roadstead of 

 SpilhenrI, between Portsmouth and the Isle of 

 Wight, can accommodate 1,000 sail of ves- 

 sels in the greatest security. The dock-yard, 

 which is the grand naval arsenal of England, 

 and the general rendezvous of the English fleet, 

 Dover Castle. is the largest in the world, including an area 



of 100 acres. Population, 50,400. Cowesh 

 a safe harbor on the northern coast of the Isle of Wight, a little west of Portsmouth, into 

 which vessels often put to water, to repair damages, or to wait for favorable weather for sailing. 



Plymouth, one of the finest harbors in the world for security and capacity, is also an impor- 

 tant naval station. The fortifications and barracks are extensive, and the Royal dock-yard is 

 on a very large scale. The Breakwater, a vast mole 1 mile in length, stretching across the 

 entrance of Plymouth Road, an^". Eddystone Lighthouse, built upon rocks lying off in the 

 Channel, are the most remarkable works of the kind in the world. The lightliouse is 80 feet 



in height, yet such is the swell of the ocean, 

 ^ _ - - caused by meeting the rocks, that it dashes 



up over the summit of ihe tower. Popula- 

 tion of Plymouth, including the adjoining 

 town of Devonport, 75,500. 



The city of Exeter is the capital of Dev- 

 onshire, and was once the residence of the 

 Saxon kings. Its cathedra! is a magnificent 

 Gothic structure. Population, 23,200. 



Salisbury, the capital of Wiltshire, is 

 also an Episcopal city ; the spire of its cel- 

 ebrated cathedral is the highest in England, 

 exceeding 400 feet. Salisbury Plain is an 

 extensive tract of level, unvvooded coun- 

 try, chiefly used as a sheep-walk, and con- 

 taining the famous ruin, called Stonehenge. 

 Salisbury has 10,000 inhabitants, 

 rr Southampton! and an Episcopal city, is a place 



Esdcr. 



JVinches 



the chief town of Hrmipshirf 



